By Umar Faruk Birnin Kebbl
Kebbi State Governor, Dr. Nasir Idris, has reiterated his administration's commitment to providing quality, accessible, and affordable healthcare services to the people of the state. This pledge was made during the PHC-MOU Close-Out ceremony and the official handover of GAVI projects under the NGF/GAVI/UNICEF Agreement in Birnin Kebbi.
The Governor highlighted the significant strides made in the health sector over the past 18 months, emphasizing the state government's substantial investments in line with global best practices. These investments include the upgrade of six General Hospitals across the state's four Emirates, deployment of ultra-modern ambulances to improve the referral system, and empowerment of the Kebbi State Contributory Health Agency to ease the financial burden of healthcare on citizens.
Furthermore, the Governor disclosed that several Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) are being renovated, and free delivery kits are being provided to pregnant women. These initiatives aim to help Kebbi achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC) by 2030 and align with President Bola Tinubu's Renewed Hope Initiative.
Dr. Idris announced plans to employ 500 additional health professionals and absorb 309 GAVI-supported staff into the state's workforce. He also confirmed the alignment of health workers' salaries with the health sector salary structure.
UNICEF's Country Representative in Nigeria, represented by Mr. Micheal Juma, lauded the Governor's commitment, citing improved immunization coverage, enhanced PHC services, and a notable reduction in neonatal mortality from 55% to 49% and under-5 mortality from 252 to 159 per 1,000 live births between 2018 and 2024. Mr. Juma urged the Governor to sustain these achievements by further increasing budgetary allocations to the health sector.
The representative of the Nigeria Governors' Forum, Maryam Yahaya, also praised the Governor's dedication to improving health indices in the state and called for continued investment in the PHC sector. The Kebbi State Health Commissioner acknowledged the Governor's immense support, noting the importance of partnerships like the MOU in delivering quality healthcare.
The event's highlight was the official handover of GAVI projects to the state government and the presentation of three Hilux vans donated by GAVI. Keys to the vehicles were handed over to the Governor by UNICEF's Country Representative.
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